Purchasing battle moves to Lake council
Sheriff goes to county council after commissioners table temperature kiosk request
The Lake County Council and the Lake County Sheriff expressed concerns Thursday after the commissioners voted to table a purchase request for thermometer kiosks, which are considered personal protective equipment.
The council plans to create a line item in its budget – which will be considered for approval Tuesday – to purchase the thermometer system kiosks the sheriff Oscar Martinez has requested. The council will then decrease the sheri ff ’s budget by that amount, said Councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John.
The commissioners have approved personal protective equipment, which Commissioners’ President Michael Repay, D-3rd, said is considered to be the equipment worn on the body to prevent COVID-19 exposure, for all departments — including the sheriff and jail.
On Wednesday, the commissioners tabled nine sheriff ’s department purchases, including the eight kiosks from Spin Touch Inc. for $23,560.
The commissioners tabled the thermometer system kiosks purchases because “there was no implementation plan conveyed to us,” Repay said.
Repay said that he would like to know where the eight thermometer kiosks will be installed and if training is required to teach employees how to read or use the machines.
If the thermometers were used, Repay said he would presume anyone with a high temperature wouldn’t be allowed in the building. If that’s the case, the county would need a policy regarding temperature checks, and it currently doesn’t have such a policy.
“There’s just more questions than there are answers,” Repay said. “We would like to see a plan in writing to see how these machines will be deployed.”
But Martinez said the commissioners have information on planned use for the goods.
“We gave (the commissioners) a detailed report on each of these items on how important they are,” Martinez said.
Martinez asked for the council’s support Thursday in purchasing the kiosks to take temperature of “our employees, our inmates and the general public.” The department went out for bid for the thermometers and the quotes that came back are within budget, he said.
“This is an item, among many, but this is the most important one that has been deferred already several times. I think that’s
unacceptable when it comes to the health and safety of not just our employees but the general public,” Martinez said.
The sheriff ’s department has been following purchasing laws set forth by the state and puts out bids for its purchases, Martinez said. The purchases are within the sheriff ’s budget and the department communicates with the council when transfers are needed within the budget, he said.
“I don’t see it necessary (the commissioners) choose and decide what kind of equipment or tools or resources I need to operate the sheriff ’s department and keep the public safe,” Martinez said. “That’s where I have a bit of a problem. If we’re following the rules, we’re following the law, how can things be denied?”
At the commissioner’s Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 meetings, the commissioners voted to postpone action on sheriff department purchases because the board wanted legal advice. The council and the commissioners are vying for authority over purchasing and are in the midst of a lawsuit that will, ultimately, determine which entity has authority over purchasing.
At the council meeting, Martinez said his office reached out to the commissioners’s attorney on Nov. 19, Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 with no response each time.
Jorgensen s ai d he’s “deeply disturbed” that the commissioners would deny the purchase of “personal protective equipment with no other reason during a pandemic.”
Jorgensen also questioned why the commissioners were just withholding the sheriff ’s department purchases if authority for purchasing for all departments is currently in question.
“That ’s bogus,” Jorgensen said.
In September, Jorgensen said the council should have authority over purchasing because of “the incessant squabbling” over purchases between the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department and the commissioners.
Councilman Charli e Brown, D-Gary, said the council should make an effort to contact the commissioners to discuss purchasing. Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said “we’ve all tried,” and suggested that Brown – as a member of a subcommittee to review purchasing – reach out to the commissioners.
Jorgensen said he reached out to Commissioners attorney Matthew Fetch to attend the Thursday council meeting. But, Jorgensen said Fetch was told by the commissioners not to attend.
Repay said Fetch was told not to attend because Fetch was not told what he’d be there to discuss. Given the lawsuit between the two branches of government, the commissioners didn’t feel it was appropriate for Fetch to attend, Repay said.